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April and May releases, Kites music giveaway, and the Indian Film Festival of L.A.

Any attempt to make a comeback after having fallen behind over the past few months shall have to begin with releases and events in April (calling it Comeback Month) and May.

A definite highlight this month is the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (official website), which kicks off on April 20 and runs through the 25th. Of (obvious) particular interest is the Bollywood by Night series, which features Kaminey (2009), 3 Idiots (2009), and -- get this -- Raakh (1989; trailer here), an Aamir Khan film which has yet to release on DVD! Add to this that all films are screened at the state-of-the-art Arclight Hollywood Cinemas (thoroughly enjoyed it every time I've been there), and it's one week full of films well worth looking forward to. Here's the complete film guide.

Lots going on as far as new film releases are concerns as well, but before we get to them, here's a neat little treat. The soundtrack to the upcoming Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites (official website) released recently, and courtesy Saavn, you can download one track from the album for free. To avail this offer, please e-mail Kites at Saavn dot com and refer to this post, following which you will receive a code to download a song of your choice. You can listen to the complete soundtrack at this link. More on the film, provided by Saavn, at the foot of this post.

(As always, please note I am in no way affiliated with Saavn, or with the film Kites. As the disclaimer in the sidebar suggests, your participation in any activity or communication here, or at sites linked to from here, is entirely voluntary, and absolves me and this site of any liabilities related to resulting damages, no matter how material. Please also refer to the SaavnPrivacy Policy and Terms of Use.)

On to the releases, then, which carry an interesting blend of themes to mark the start to the second quarter. One I'm definitely looking forward to is Paathshaala (School), starring Shahid Kapoor, Nana Patekar, and Ayesha Takia. A rather pleasant soundtrack (listen at this IN.com link) by Hanif Sheikh accompanies the film, and I'm loving sing-along favorite Aye Khuda by Salim Merchant, although its choreography leaves some to be desired. (Perhaps the strumming of the guitar could be synchronized with the music, to start with?)

Paathshaala comments on the corporatization of academic institutions. I hope it's fun, because it sure sounds like my kind of film. I also hope it incorporates (pun intended) an area Taare Zameen Par (2007) chose to ignore (justifiably) -- a love story! Now, I'm not talking Karan Johar style love stories, but what's any school without love stories, right? :)

My sleeper pick for April is The Japanese Wife by Director Aparna Sen (Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2001), 15 Park Avenue (2005)), starring Rahul Bose and Raima Sen. I'd watch this for the cast and crew alone, but it sure seems we'll have to wait for the DVD release. Check out the synopsis at the films official website.

Meanwhile, Comeback Month was named so for a reason. See? Here are some interesting comebacks this month:

Rajesh Khanna (Rajesh Khanna!) in Do Dilon Ke Khel Mein

Vivek Oberoi in Prince

Tanushree Dutta in Apartment

Manisha Koirala in Ek Second Jo Zindagi Badal De

Another noteworthy film, if only for the cast, is Housefull, aptly titled so, because it stars a house full of stars, including Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Arjun Rampal, Ritesh Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Malaika Arora (whew). Sadly, it's directed by Sajid Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala (Kambakkht Ishkk (2009), Heyy Babyy (2007)), which means odds are it'll be yet another you know what.

A Note from Saavn(Please note: The following is verbatim, as provided by Saavn, who own claims made herein.)

Saavn is proud to present Kites, one of the biggest Bollywood releases of all time. Starring Bollywood sensation Hrithik Roshan, Kites, the accompanying film, has the largest budget in Bollywood history. With Mexican actress Barbara Mori in the lead, and an international version in English edited by major Hollywood player Brett Ratner (director of the Rush Hour series), Kites is being positioned as Bollywood's first chance at a mainstream hit.

The Kites soundtrack is by Rajesh Roshan, who has won 2 Filmfare awards (India's equivalent of the Oscars) and been nominated for 8 more for his music. With the all-time number six Bollywood soundtrack (Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, 20 million records sold) to his credit, and over 60 million records sold, Rajesh Roshan is in the same league as Pearl Jam, Ricky Martin, Shania Twain and Boyz II Men in terms of record sales (and he surpasses Shakira, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Green Day).

For Kites, Roshan has blended several styles, reflecting the American, Mexican, and Indian pedigree of the project. The album moves through retro Bollywood sounds, Indo-Western fusion, electronic, reggae, and salsa, and it appeals to a wide audience with lyrics in Hindi, English, and Spanish. Voted the year's most anticipated album by users on BollywoodHungama.com, the web’s top Bollywood site, Kites is as big as it gets!

About Kites

Accompanying film is biggest budget Bollywood movie of all time

Bollywood's first mainstream venture - starring a Mexican actress, with dialogue in English and Spanish, and plot set in the U.S. and Mexico

Album artist has sold over 60 million albums

Album artist recorded top Bollywood album of the decade, with over 20 million copies sold

Expect major press in May around the film's release, especially the international version presented by Brett Ratner (director of the Rush Hour series)

10 comments:

Yes, Paathshala's songs are real surprise. Love each one from the album. never mind how they look on the screen. Coz you know, there's Shahid. He acts like he himself is screaming the songs in mike. (ref. video of Bekarar) .

it took so long for the japanese wife to come out. Hope it will release with more prints so that i can catch it in theatre. Besides Kites, I am looking forward to Paathshala. And (hold it)... Phoonk 2 !! hehe, i like silly horror movies, especially in halls.

I'm visiting England for a week in early May and am looking out for what's gonna be in theaters at the time. Looks like I'm gonna miss Badmaash Company (which is a shame, it looks like something I might enjoy - unless it has early showings in Manchester, from where I'm flying home on May 7th) and may opt for Housefull (which doesn't look like my thing much at all but I just want to see some Bollywood in theaters, such a rare and precious treat for me)... Maybe if Japanese Wife is running I'll go see that instead.

Anyway, thanks for making the post. For once this will be very topical for me. :)

Been really busy and haven't gotten around to listening to ANY music since MNIK. :S But I'm really looking forward to Paathshala and Badmaash Company! Hopefully Shahid will have two more good films to his name. =)

I and definitely not seeing Housefull. :P That's not my kind of film. Kites just kind of anti-climaxed for me. And that's saying something, since I wasn't really looking forward to it anymore! Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai looks cute, but it's not something I'd go all out and watch right away.

Of the April and May releases I would love to see The japanese Wife... I like Aparna Sens work (except for the endings of her movies). And of course Rahul Bose who is (almost) always a pleasure to watch... I wonder why it took so long to publish this movie...

I would like to see Prince, too... I kind of like Viveik Oberoi... Paathshaala looks good, too.

But what about Bum Bum Bole? :-O Do they want people to believe that it is a sequel to Taare Zameen Par?

Kites is also a movie I would like to see. I wonder how Hrithik used the spare time and if he can convince me, that he is as good as everybody tends to say ;-) I doubt that because Roshan-Family-Projects have not impressed me so far...

Well, I hope, it won't take that long until your next article. :-)

Take care.

Kristine

P.S.I forgot to mention... Due to living in a Bollywood desert, I probably won't have the chance to watch any of the above mentioned movies in a cinema and have to wait until the release of the DVD... As always... *sigh*

Some nice stuff to look forward to, this summer. Cant wait for The Japanese Wife, Its A Wonderful Afterlife and Kites. The first, because I am certain it will be a beautiful film, the second because Gurinder Chadha films are always entertaining and the last because I like my dose of beautiful people, especially when it comes wrapped in Hrithik! :-) I do hope Kites will be entertaining too, since thats the only one of the three likely to come to the theaters here.

Darshit: Going to have to agree on this year being very ordinary as far as big releases are concerned.

Fingers crossed for Paathshala, and thank you again for directing me to the soundtrack. How about Lucky Ali making a mini-comeback too?! Wish I could say I like the music to Badmaash Company, listened to it once, probably need to listen again before concluding.

Woah, Phoonk 2, you say? One of these days, I need to venture into the world of horror movies. I've said this before, my major accomplishment in that category is having seen Kaal on a stormy night at a ranch in Texas. Bindaas! :D

Love how popular the IPL is in Ahmedabad. Good for the city! Now please, go see some cricket at a theater near you, bhai! :P

Veracious: You're welcome any time, and sounds like a good deal for you this time around! Sure hope you get to enjoy at least one Hindi film in theaters while in England, and be sure to get some good Indian food too while you're there!

Rhilex: Isn't it interesting how the biggest stars get us to listen to filmi music? Might not be what influenced the listening for you, but it does seem to have some impact on my tendencies (although I like to think it's not too much of a big impact, I enjoy listening to indie stuff as well). Just recently started getting to soundtracks since MNIK myself. Shahid's certainly more popular (should say more liked, actually) today than he was this time last year. Good for him! Kites should be interesting, and so should Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai.

Kristine! Thanks, and I've promised myself to try to blog more often than my average over the past few months suggests.

THe Japanese Wife certainly seems quite interesting, and who knows, maybe the climax to this will be better. :) Really haven't been following its progress, just glad it's here! LOL at the comment regarding Bum Bum Bole :) Kites looks like one of those films that can be a mega-hit or mega-flop, with no middle ground. I think it'll do real well, but who really knows?

Hope to get back to movie reviews soon! And hey, at least you have DVDs in the Bollywood desert! There were times when getting movies on VHS wasn't easily accomplished.

Sure hope Kites is all it's billed to be. The more I listen to its music (expected better overall), the more fitting it seems for a grandiose production.

I've had mixed feelings about the Gurinder Chadha films I've seen, but I've only seen three (Bend it like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice, and Mistress of Spices), so that might have something to do with it.

And yes, it's definitely frustrating when we must wait for movies we look forward to on DVD, but let's hope a limited theatrical release means we get the DVD release a lot faster!

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